Workforce
Information technology professionals in the United States can expect starting salaries to increase an average of 3.4 percent in 2011, according to the Robert Half Technology Salary Guide 2011.
In West Texas, where unemployment is at 2 percent, the popular chain Chili's had to close some of its restaurants because there were not enough employees to fill the jobs. Imagine what it's like for a healthcare system in that part of the country to recruit IT staff, says Gary L. Barnes, CIO of Medical Center Health System in Odessa, Texas.
Health Resources and Services Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has bestowed $792,000 on the University of Louisville School of Nursing with an eye towards helping it develop a nursing informatics program for the school's undergraduate and graduate students, as well as for practicing nurses from University of Louisville Hospital.
Computer giant Dell is making a $15 million investment in computer equipment and services to support the launch of the University at Buffalo's new Institute for Healthcare Informatics.
The federal government will give the healthcare workforce $130.8 million in grants, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Friday. The awards include $50.5 million for state-of-the-art training equipment and technology, such as e-learning tools, video, audio and interactive learning systems and simulators.
Health information management expert Fatima Rahman has teamed up with the Fontana Lewis Library in Fontana, Calif., to offer a free 10-week course in informatics.
The University of North Carolina Health Care System (UNCHCS) will implement the Lawson Human Resource Management suite, including the Lawson Employee and Manager Self Service application.
Angie's List announced on Wednesday a partnership that will allow its members to access Healthcare Blue Book, a free pricing tool that aids consumers and companies in determining fair healthcare prices.
North Idaho College (NIC) is now offering a program to train students with a prior background in healthcare and/or information technology to construct and use electronic health records.
All the attention of late has been on the final rule for meaningful use of EHRs, but the health IT training made possible by funding under the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has a far-reaching impact beyond the healthcare industry.